Arnarhóll

The steep grassy slope of Arnarhóll rises above the downtown streets, crowned by a bronze statue of Ingólfur Arnarson. He stands with his arm outstretched, pointing toward the harbor where he famously threw his high seat pillars overboard to let the gods decide where he should settle his new home. While modern Reykjavík sprawls around this hill, the statue marks the site where folklore places the first Norse settler. Farmers grazed their sheep here until the city began its rapid expansion.